Joshua 22:21

THE REPLY OF THE EASTERN TRIBES

"Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spake unto the heads of the thousands of Israel, The Mighty One, God, Jehovah, the Mighty One, God, Jehovah, he knoweth; and Israel he shall know: if it be in rebellion, or if in trespass against Jehovah, save us not this day, that we have built us an altar to turn away from following Jehovah; or if to offer thereon burnt-offering or meal-offering, or if to offer sacrifices of peace-offerings thereon, let Jehovah himself require it; and if we have not rather out of carefulness done this, and of purpose, saying, in time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with Jehovah the God of Israel? for Jehovah hath made the Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no portion in Jehovah: so might your children make our children cease from fearing Jehovah. Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice: but it shall be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may do the service of Jehovah before him with our burnt-offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace-offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no portion in Jehovah. Therefore said we, It shall be, when they so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we shall say, Behold the pattern of the altar of Jehovah, which our fathers made, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice; but its a witness between us and you. Far be it from us that we should rebel against Jehovah, and turn away this day from following Jehovah, to build an altar for burnt-offering, for meal-offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of Jehovah our God that is before his tabernacle."

There are here a number of exceedingly interesting things:

(1) Note that the Trans-Jordanic group waited patiently until the full extent of Phinehas' charges were made and understood by the accused. There were no interruptions and no display of resentment.

(2) The accused tribes professed total innocence on the charge of rebelling against God.

(3) They patiently explained why they had built this great altar.

(4) Incidentally, we learn here that it was a giant replica of the one actually in the tabernacle.

(5) Notice that even the accused tribes accepted fully the Word of God that there could be but one altar (one at a time, that is).

(6) Also, notice that the location of that sacred altar was given in Joshua 22:19. It was the one before the tabernacle! How does the Jerusalem temple stack up against that requirement? This is EXCEEDINGLY important. If post-exilic priests wrote this alleged Midrash to defend the one sanctuary in Jerusalem, which was in the temple, why should this line have been put in about the true altar being the one before "God's tabernacle"? Any careful study of that theory will show that it is a worthless error!

Joshua 22:22 is of particular interest. "The Hebrew most impressively combines the names of God, [~'El] [~'Elohiym] [~Yahweh]!"[19] The same combination appears in Psalms 50:1, where it is translated, "The Mighty One, God, Jehovah." "No translation can do justice to the original. The three names of God, [~'El], [~'Elohiym], and [~Yahweh], are each twice repeated in that order!"[20] Most of the critical commentators make no reference at all to these three names in one breath. Could it be that this does NOT fit their theories?

Philbeck properly discerned the importance of the doctrine of having one central sanctuary for all Israel, saying:

"It was of pivotal importance. It served as the focal point of Israel's government. Only in their worship of the Lord were the independent tribes of Israel united in any real sense. To build a rival altar was to violate the covenant by seceding from the nation."[21]

Morton commented fully upon the exemplary conduct of the Israelites in a number of instances during this episode: (1) The western tribes did not begin a disastrous war without investigating the rumors upon which they were tempted to declare it. (2) They placed the investigation in the hands of competent and fair-minded people. (3) They went straight to the persons accused of sin, confronting them with what they had heard. (4) They listened patiently to the explanations offered. (5) They accepted them as true, and unity was at once restored. He summarized these views thus: "Rumor was supplanted by reason; reason led to understanding; understanding averted war; God was in their midst."[22] It would be wonderful today if brethren would exercise such basic precautions before receiving charges against one another.